Vibrator



vJune 6, 19440 w. F. PURvEs Erm. v2,350,817

ATTORNEY Patented June 6, 1944 u N ITED. STAT Es PAT; E.

A vIRA'roRi wiuiamr.. rurves and sydney e. timestam- 'ford Conn., as'signors tov Schick,Incorporatedi.r v acorlporation of Delaware t Application October` 11, 1940, SeralNio. 360,736".l

vThis invention relates-to hand-vibrators, by which is meant vibration-producing devices adapted to be mounted on some part; of 'the hand to vibrate the fingers thereof, which in-turn are applied to the portion of` the anatomy to be treated.

One of the objects of the invention is to-provide an improved, self-contained, electric handvibrator incorporating Aa vibratory electricmotor, eitherof the unbalanced rotary armature type or the oscillating armaturetype, which is compact and capable of vbeing Ymanufactured at low cost and in which operatorfatlgue, as the result of excessive vibration of the handand forearm, is reduced to a minimum Without impairing the emcacy of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-vibrator adapted to'bemounted on the backs of thengers onlyV of theoperator and capable of utilizing a rotary electric motor of the impulse type asthe power unit'.

f AnotherV object of the invention is to provide for the adjustment -of theY intensity of the vi bration imparted tothe hand ofthe operator and hence to thepatient.

' A preferred form of the vibratorin whichzthese and other objects of advantages are achieved is illustrated in the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 showing the vibrator attached to the hand of an operator; Fig. 2 a cross-section on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a cross-section on the line III- III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a similar section but with the motor in a different position of adjustment; and Fig. 5 the unbalanced armature of the motor.

The illustrated vibrator comprises a housing, consisting of a cover portion I and a base portion 2, the latter being of rectangular shape and dimensioned to seat on the backs of the ngers only of an operator so as t0 occupy the area bounded by the rst (basal) and second joints of the ngers, and to seat on at least three of the iingers. A cushion pad 3, which may be shaped on its underside to conform roughly to the contour of the upper surfaces of the fingers, is shown riveted to the base.

Mounted within the housing, in such manner as to transmit its vibrations thereto, is a selfcontained electric Vibrator unit including an element normally acting to vibrate the device as a whole in a plane at right angles to the axes of the iingers. Preferably, and as shown, the unit comprises a small rotary motor and the vimation-inducing element a Weight carried by the motor shaft.

The construction of the motor per se forms no part ofthe present invention but it has been found that a simple, impulse-motorof the small sizeand simple formcurrently,employed in electric shavers, ,properly located-and modifiedto the extent 'of adding ani unbalancedweight to the armature shaft,l has ampie` power to actuate a vibrator of the type herein disclosed. This-results from the fact thatas distinguished from vibrators `heretofore proposedl to -be3driven by rotary motors, the deviceis mountedw'on and attached to the fingers only, rather -tha-n partly on the' fingers and partly on` the back ofthe hand, so-thatthe entire output of the motor can be efficiently directed to effecting vibration of the iingers (as-is desired) and'not -wastedin vibrating also the hand properandthelower arm of the operator. By so'conningthevibratory action to 4the ngers themselves, operator fatigue of the hand and arnilisalso minimized.

Thefillustrated motor wi-ll be recognized as including a eld`magnet4, mounted in the housing. with its-axis of symmetry cross-wise of the fingers., a iield Winding. 5, an armature 6 and contact make-andbrealsystem generally designated 'l adapted'for actuation by a cam 8 on the armature shaft. The unbalanced weight which serves to vibrate thev device when the motor is innoperatiorr is conveniently-*applied to the armature itself 1n-the. form of a piece of lead 9 shaped to round out one of the hollows of the hour-glass shaped armature and secured in place as by a pin l0 passing through it and through a cover plate Il riveted to the armature laminations.

As usually constructed such motors are not self-starting and as applied, for example, to electric shavers, are required to be provided with starting means, such as a, Wheel afIXed to the armature shaft and made accessible by an opening in the housing; but it has been found that when provided with an unbalanced weight, such as above described, no such starting means is required and in consequence the motor can be fully enclosed. The inertia of the weighted armature is such that the motor is readily started by twisting the vibrator as a Whole in the plane of rotation of the armature, somewhat as a watch or clock is started, the contacts of the make-andbreak mechanism being thereby brought to closed position and the motor started, as will be understood.

Since hand Vibrators are ordinarily used in connection with the massaging of different individuals and of varyingly sensitive parts of the body, it is desirable, although not essential, to

provide for the adjustment of the intensity of the vibration imparted to the lingers of the operator; and this is done according to the present invention by mounting the vibrator unit in such manner that it can be adjusted to shift the plane of vibration relative to the ngers and, preferably, so that the motor unit can be bodily rotated from a position in which its, plane of v ibration is at right angles :to the `ngers (the maximum intensity of vibration then being imparted to them) to a position in which its plane of vibration is at a lesser angle or even parallel to the plane of the lingers. the lingers are subjected to a less violent motion in a vertical direction, a more or'less lateral motion being imparted to themdepending'on the'V extent to which the unit is rotated.

According to the illustrated .method of providing for such adjustment,'the motor is mounted on a base plate I2 having flanges I3 upstanding at its ends inwhich-faremounted studs I4, I5, suitablyjournaled,in the end wall portions I6, I1 of the vbase of the vibrator. `Anand wheel I8 pinnedA to stud I4 provides a convenient means for bodily rotatingmthe motor and "it, may be lockedinany desired .position of adjustment by lock nut I9 threaded onvvstud I5. As so mounted the motormay be ,adjusted from the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the maximum vibration is impartedAvtothe-fngers (the plane of vibration then being vertical) to the position shown in Fig. 4 `(or toany intermediate position, such as the one indicated in dotted lines) in which a more or lesslateral motion is imparted to the vibrator and; a lesser rdegree of vibration experienced by the patientfg-. -A

It will be observed that the axis of rotation of the armature 4irs-,located closet` to one end ofthe base than tothe othenthe purpose of so locating it being to eiecta ,somewhaty greater intensity of vibration at one ,end of the base than =at the other, although,v las will beunderstood, the whole base doesvrvibrate bodily. In the result, when the vibrator is appliedto the lingers n the man ner indicated, thatis, with that vend of the base which is closestto the armature located above the first finger and the end more remoterom the armature located above the third linger, the first ng'er is actually vibrated to a greater ex- In the latter position tent than the second, and the second to a greater extent than the third. However, dueto the fact that in most intsances the developed strength and facility of manipulation of 'the fingers decreases from the first toward the little finger, the feel of the vibrator tothe hand of th'e 0p erator is of substantially balanced vibratory motion; and fatigue of the operators fingers is reduced to a minimum. a

The type of hand-attachment means illustrated in the drawing (which is the subject of a separate application and is of a construction in no Way essential to the present invention) comprises a pair of wedge-shaped, molded buttons 2l),` which may be of molded rubber or any of the available rubber substitutes, attached to the vibrator baseA by elastic strap 2|, the points of the wedges 'entering between the lingers, and the bases or enlarged heads of the buttons snugly engaging the lower sides and under surfaces of the fingers tofhold the vibrator in firm contact with the Vbacks of the fingers-without cramping the fingersv and leaving them quite free to be manipulated during the massaging operation.

As will be understood from the scope of the appended claims, various features of therinventionare of practical value and utility in vibrators of otherV forms of construction than the one illustrated. Y f

The following is claimed:

-1. A self-contained, electric hand-vibrator comprising a base for attachment to the back of the hand, a vibratory electric motor, means for supporting the motor in various positions of angular adjustment ofthe plane of vibration of the motor relatively to the plane of the base, and

means for locking the motor in any selected position ofadjustment.. Y v

2. A self-contained, j electric hand-vibrator comprising a base for attachment to the back of the hand, an lunbalanced rotary Velectric motor, means -for supporting the motoren the base with freedom for bodily-adjustment about an axis lying in the planeof vibration and intersecting the axis of rotation of the motor, and means for securingthe motor in any selected position of adjustment. f 1

I WILLIAM F. PURVES.. y"SYDNEY P. HARRIS. 

